Rhode Island unemployment ticks up
Posted on December 18, 2011
Rhode Island unemployment has actually increased, according to a release from the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training.
According to the Dept., the states seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for November 2011 was 10.5 percent, up one-tenth of a percentage point from the previous month. This represents the first monthly increase in the unemployment rate since December 2009. However, the November 2011 rate was down a full percentage point from the previous November, representing the 14th consecutive month of year-over-year decreases in the states unemployment rate.
The U.S. unemployment rate was 8.6 percent in November, down four-tenths of a percentage point from the previous month and down one and two-tenths percentage points from November 2010.
The number of unemployed RI residentsthose residents classified as available for and actively seeking employmentincreased by 500 over the October figures, rising to 59,200 in November, the first over-the-month increase since March 2010. Over the year, the number of unemployed RI residents dropped by 7,000.
Due to numerous eligibility requirements, the number of unemployed RI residents differs from the number of RI Unemployment Insurance recipients. The average weekly claim load for RI Unemployment Insurance benefits in November was 30,215, up 1,976 (+7.0%) from the October average of 28,239 but down 3,239 (-9.7%) from the November 2010 average of 33,454.
The number of employed RI residents increased 400 over the October figures, totaling 503,300 in November, the second consecutive over-the-month increase in the number of employed. Over the year, the number of employed RI residents was down 7,500 from November 2010.
The RI labor force totaled 562,500 in November 2011, up 900 from October but down 14,600 from November 2010 estimates. The labor force increase (+900) was due to the increase in the number of employed (+400) combined with the increase in the number of unemployed (+500). This is the second consecutive month that the RI labor force has increased, following nine consecutive months of decreases.
